On October 26th, 2019, IMBER LUMINIS released "Same Old Silences." IMBER LUMINIS is a solo project of multi-instrumentalist Déhà, who hails from Belgium. You may know him from the large number of bands and other solo projects he is in, including MALADIE, MERDA MUNDI, and SLOW. With IMBER LUMINIS, Déhà has focused on atmospheric doom metal in his early releases and atmospheric/post-black metal in his later releases. Per IMBER LUMINIS press releases, "Same Old Silences" marks a return to atmospheric doom. This album is a two track full-length album, and both tracks are longer than 17 minutes in duration. Melodic and doom-y riffs are accented by synths. Vocals are a mix of growls, depressive black metal screams, and clean singing.

The first track of the album is "Same Old Sufferings," which is broken into three parts. Parts I and II are re-recordings of "Same Old Sufferings" Parts I and II from the original digital release of the same name in 2011. Part III is a new addition to the composition. Part I of the track starts with soft synths leading into a soul rending doom riff and screams. For those familiar with the 2011 version, the original synth melody was replaced by the doom riff. This gives the track a heavier sound than the airiness of the synth, but with no less emotion. Part II of the 2011 version featured female clean singing, which is absent from the newly released version. The synth still has a strong presence, maintaining an ambiance similar to the original version. In addition, the track still builds in emotion, though in the new version, it erupts with a melodic guitar solo, which I prefer to the original.

Lastly, there is Part III, the new addition. For many reasons, I would consider Part III a skillfully composed addition and conclusion to Parts I and II. Part III begins with a piano interlude, echoing the synths from Parts I and II. The clean singing verses and lyrics also match the previous parts. The musical composition and motifs are similar enough that it's a logical continuation. The second track is "Silence III." It is a continuation of "Silence" from a free compilation titled "A Cold Distance" released in 2011 and "Silence II" from the limited edition version of "Imber Aeternus" released in 2014. This track is more atmospheric black metal than the doom of the first track, but with the same mournful atmosphere created from the synth and depressive black metal screams. "Silence III" features Dryáda as guest vocalist. Her growls complement Déhà's in emotion.

Overall, I recommend this album to fans of atmospheric and depressive black metal, death/doom, and funeral doom. If you are a completely new listener, there is a lot to take in between the two tracks. If you have heard Parts I and II of "Same Old Sufferings," they are different enough on this album to warrant another listen, but still as crushingly heavy as the original. If you have heard Deha's other music before, give this a listen because on this album, he again proves he is a skilled at composing music with a great ability to evoke emotion.